Record-card-operated statistical machine



May 1, 1928. 1,667,881

. c. CAMPBELIT RECORD CARD OPERATED STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed May 1923 2 Sheets-Sneet 1 4 58 Eg W 8 50 T 5-408 m ax 62 85 j 1 00 @406 V 'I my fi m-W K 104 v v 1 I v I NVENI OI f2 2 Z NZ May 1%, 1928.

1,667,881 C. CAMPBELL RECORD CARD OPERATED STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed M'ay 1923 2 Sheets-Sneet 2 Patented May 1, 1928.

UNITED STAT S I 1,667,881 PATENT OFFICE.

' CHARLES CAMPBELL, OF LONDON, ENGLAN D, ASSIGNOR, MESH! ASSIGNMENTS, TO I THE TABULATING COMPANY, OF YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RECOBD CABD-OPERATED STATISTICAL MACHINE.

Application filed May 16,1923, Serial No. 639,359, and in Great Britain m 21, 1922.

This invention relates to record-card-operated statistical machines, of which the wellknown Hollerith tabulatingma'chines are examples. i

In the use of such machines, it may in certain circumstances be desired to accumm 'late, print or list quantities represented by perforations in the cards only from those cards of a series which have a particular hole or combination of holes, and from no others; and the procedure hitherto has been to sort out these cards in a sorting-machine, which through a quantity accumulating .tabulating.

machine or printing tabulating machine, and thereafter reaggregated with the remainder in their original order.

The object of the present invention is to enable .the selecting and quantity-tabulating (or printing) operation to be effected in one operation, and without the necessity of sorting out or segregating the cards tobe selected and .of subsequently re-aggregating them.

Preferably the operation is carried out while the record cards are in continuous mo tionthrough the machine thus obviating the necessity of stopping the feed of the cards to ,take aselector reading therefrom.

Accordingly the present invention consists of a machine comprising in combination two card-reading mechanisms (for example, two sets'of card-contacts and circuits) one or more single-column selectors associated with one of the mechanisms whereby said mechanism is rendered operative only when a certain pre-selected hole or combination of holes is present in a card; quantityaccumulating devices (for example quantitycounters or printing devices) controlled by the second card-reading mechanism, and operative connections between the first and second card-reading mechanisms whereby 'the second mechanism is' rendered operative anism is operative.

The operative connection aforesaid may consists of a relay-switch or switches, operated by selector-controlled card-circuits of the first card-reading mechanism and controlling card-circuits 'of the second mechanism.

Preferably the selector-controlled cardcircuit or circuits control as aforesaid an intermediate circuit which is itself operatively connected to the second set of cardcircuits. This intermediate circuit may be provided with a mechanically-operated switch timed-to operate after the perforations of each card have passed-the first brushes, whereby the intermediate circuit is maintained inoperative until the proper time. A card sorting device may be placed-in this intermediate circuit or in a circuit controlled thereby, so that the cards may if desired be sorted, in accordance with the selection, immediately after the tabulating or printing operation and without further set ting of the machine or other manual operation. i

The single-column selector which it is preferred to employ, and which'forms a further feature of the invention, comprises a rotating contact geared to rotate synchronously with the passage of a card through the apparatus and adapted to bridge a gap in the brush circuit at one point of its movement, and

means for adjusting the angular relation between the contact and the gap'in the circuit (for example by adjusting the segment about its axis of rotation) whereby any one of a collilimn of index-points may beselected at w1 In order to enable a combination of index-' points in different columns to be selected as aforesaid, a plurality of such selecting devices is employed each controlling one of a number of relay switches in series in a circuit which controls the counting and/or other mechanism. One of the selecting devices is placed in each of the brush circuits corresponding to the desired columns of index-points, and each device isadjusted to select the particular index-point from the corresponding column. It will be readily seen that the counting and/or other mechanism will not operate unless all the relay switches are closed, and this will not occur tion are counted, sorted out or otherwise unless the predetermined combination of index-points is present on the card. Thus only those cards having this particular comblnadealt with.

A referred form of tabulating machine accor' ing to this invention is'illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 IS a diagrammatic view showing the arts of the machine and the various circuits displayed for the sake of clearness.

' arrows.

closed at all other times.

Figure 2 is a plan of part of a singlecolumn selector, and

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 in Figure 2, looking in the direction of the Referring to Figure 1, an upper set of card-contacts is represented by two contacts 4, and a lowerset by three contacts 6. These contacts are of well-known form and will not be further described, it being understood that there are as many contacts side-by-side in each set" as there are columns of index.

omts'on the record-card. The usual cardeed mechanism is employed whereby recordcards can be fed downwards one by one between the contacts 4 and then through the contacts 6. There is a gap, not less than the vertical dimension of a card, betweenthe two sets of card-contacts.

A driving motor -8 is supplied with cur-' rent from the supply mains 10 and 12' by means of main leads 14 and 16, between which leads all the circuits to be described extend. v

Current is supplied to the brushcontacts 4from the 'lead 14 through cam-contacts 18,

line 19, contacts of a relay 20, and individual brush leads 22. The cam-contacts 18 are timed to open when the brushes 4 make contact in the gap between successive cards, being A number of single-coluinn selectors 247 are provided any one of which can be connected with any one of the contact-blocks 4 by means of plugconnections 26. Each selector is connected to thelead 16 through a holding-relay 28 and a relay winding 30, the contacts 32 of which are separately shown in series in a line 34 which constitutes an intermediate circuit.

The winding of the relay 20 is in a. shunt 36, through a card-lever-contact 3840f ordinary form, to the line 19. Thus, as soon as a card passes this card lever, the relay 20 will be energized, thereby permitting all circuits through'the contacts 4 and selectors.

24 to be completed under the joint control of the card perforations and the selectors.

Assuming that only the two. selectors shown are being used, the contacts 32 corre to the unused selectorsaref shortspondin by means of hand-operated circuite switches 40,- as shown. If there are perforations in a card at the particular points In the particular columns for which the two selectors have been set, the corresponding relays 30 will be energized and the two corresponding contacts 32 will be'closed.

At the sametime the two holding-relays 28 will-be energized, thereby closing holdwcircuits 29 shunting the contacts 4, and maintainlng the contacts 32 closed.

As soon as all index points in the columns dealt with have passed the brushes 4, and,

the changes have been effected by the index perforations, the cam-contacts 42 close,

thereby completing the auxiliary circuit through the two pairs of closedcontacts 32.

As-the cam-contacts 18 open immediately after this, a holding circuit is necessary for the circuit 34, and this is provided by'the relay 44, shunt 46 and cam-contacts 48, the function of the latter being to re-open the circuit and de-energize the relay 44 (at the end'of the tabulating card-cycle to be described 'lateriready for. the next card.

Itwill be understood, of course, that if acard has not the pre-selected perforations, one. or both of the contacts 32 will remain open, and the intermediate not be completed. I

This intermediate circuit is employed to control tabulating or other operations of the lower set of card-contacts 6, whereby such operations only take place in conneccircuit 34 will tion with cards having the said preselected:

perforations, as willnow'be described.

The common bar 50 of the brushes6 is connected to the lead14 through contacts 52 of a relay the winding 54 of which is .in the intermediate circuit-34, and it will be evident at once that since the-card-contacts 6 will not complete brush-circuits unless the con-. tacts .52 are closed, and since, only when a selected card hasipassed-the upper card contacts 4, the relay 54 is energized during the time this card is passing the lower card contacts 6, the arrangement described attains the desired result.

like are actuated in accordance with the card-perforations and in the usual manner by meansof magnets of wh ch the windings are shown at 64.

The card-.lever-contacts 56are employed to stop the lmachinewhcn the last card has passed. The line from. the lead 14 to the motor includes starting-key contacts 66, a motor-relay winding 68 andi-stop-key' contacts 70 and 72. It will. be evident that once the starting-key has; been depressed a shunt 74 will be closed .by the contacts of min the relay 68, and the starting-key may therefore be released. 1

The motor now remains mder the 10ml;

control of cam-contacts 76 and relay-contact-s 78.-the ma net-winding-80' of which .is in the shunt 6O previously described.

open, and the next time the contacts 58 close the winding 80 will receive no current. Gonsequent-ly, the relay-contacts 78 will be open at the same time as the cam-contacts 76 and the contacts of the motor relay 68 will open, thus finally stopping the machine.

Counters are employed to count the total number of cards passing through the -machine and the number of cards selected by the contacts 4 and the selectors 24, and, as

a check upon these two, a counter for cards not selected.

\ The total-card counter maybe a units counter the magnet-winding 82 of which is placed in the shunt 36. A units counter for selected cards may have its magnet-winding in the intermediate circuit 34.

If ordinary Hollerith or like quantitycounters are employed for card-counting,

they are placed in circuits in-parallel with the contacts 6 under-the control of cam -con-v t-acts timed to close momentarily at the'1 position of'the counters.

In this arrangement, the winding 84 of the total-card counter is in aline 86' shunted across the contacts 52 and the lower cardcontacts 6, the cam-contacts, timed as aforesaid, being shown at 88. The magnet-winding 90 of the counter for selected cards, and its cam-contacts 92, are in a line 94 shunted across the contacts 6'but in serieswith the contacts 52. The counter for nonselected cards, and its cam-contacts, are in (heated at 96 and 98 respectlvely in a. line 100 similar to the line 86, and this counter is short-circuited and therefore not operated, every time the circuit 34 is completed, by a line 102 having relay-contacts 104 the magnet-Winding 106 of which is placed in the said circuit 34;.

,The cams operating the cam-contacts 18,

42, 48, 58, 76', 88, 92 and 98 are preferably all mounted on a single shaft 108, parts of which are indicated diagrammatically. in

Figure 1, which is driven by gearing indicated at 110 from the motor 8. The cardfeed rolls 112 are similarly driven by gearingindicated at 114. the gear-ratios being such that the shaft 108 rotates once per cardcycle, as is usual in machines Of'lllle Hollerith type. It willbe understood that no attempt has been made to show the cams in their correct angular positions, but the ex- 1 wheel 25.

planation of the timing of these cams given above will enable those skilled in the art to understand the construction,

If it is desired to sort out the I selected I cards after they have passed through the machine, a. card-sorting device, indicated may be placed in thecircuit. 34 as shown,'or' in the l1ne94c, and in either case-f as Wlll be evident to those skilled in the art, it will operate to segregate the selected cards from the others.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the preferred form of single-column selector'co-mprises a drum-3 of insulating material provided with two grooves 5 and having let into it a metal bar 7 fiush with its periphery and grooved to correspond.

The drum 3 is mounted to rotate on a shaft 9 which is rotated in the direction of the arrow, in synchronism with the cardfeed-rolls 112 (Figure 1) by the gearing 11 i. and which drives the drum through the oneway clutch 13 held yieldingly in engagement by the spring-pressed lever 15-. 9

Two fixed brushes 17 bear upon the bottoms of the grooves 5, and these brushes are placed in the leads from the blocks 4 as clearly shown in Figure 1.

The equally-spaced ratchet-teeth of the clutch 13 are so disposed that however the clutch is engaged, the metal bar 7 will be under the brushes 17 when an index-point in a card is at the card-contacts 4.

The drum 3 is further provided on its periphery with equally-spaced characters corresponding to the numbers,letters or the like by which the various indeX-pointsin a column thereof on a. card are known. Thesev characters are visible one at a time through a window 21 in a casing 23.

In order that the drum 3 may be angularly adjusted to select any desired indexpoint in the column, it is provided with a gear-wheel 25 which can be engaged by a pinion 27 fast to a knurled wheel 31.

The pinion and knurled wheel are mounted to rotate in the upper end of a pivoted lever 33 which. when pushed towards the drum causes the pinion to engage the gear- Two detents 35 are provided one at each end of the shaft 9 which are moved ping) until the required character on the adjusting .means as describe drum is beneath the window 21. The lever 33 and the detent 35 are spring-pressed away from the shaft 9. In order to prevent undesired -movement, a friction device 43 is provided which grips the gear-wheel 25.- .The angular relation between the notch 37,

the teeth of the clutch 13, the bar 7'and the characters on the drum is such that when the drum has been thus rotated to bring a certain character beneath the window, the bar 7 will make contact between the brushes 17 during the runningof the machine when the corresponding index-point is at the contacts 4, Figure 1.

Although only one drum 3 is shown, any number may be mounted on the shaft 9 sideby-side,- each having a drivin clutch and and illustrated. a

When it is desired to select'more than one index-point in the same column ofrthecards, twoor more selectors, each setforone such index-point, may be employed exactly in the same way as hereinbefore described when two or more index-points in separate columns'are ,to be selected.

I claim I 1. A record-card-operated statistical ma.- chine comprising in combination two/cardreading mechanisms, one or more singlecolumn selectors associated with one of the mechanisms in such manner that said mechanism is rendered operative only when a certain pre-selectedhole or combination of" holesis present in a card, quantity-accumu-' lating' devices controlled by the secondcard render the circuit efiective for control of the f device only after each card has passed the first selector-controlled card-reading mechanism. 1

5. In a machine as set forth in claim 4, holding-means in each selector-circuit and a time-controlled switch operated to de-energize and open the relay-switches after each the purpose described. r

7. A record-card-operated statistical machlne comprismg 1n comblnatlon two card reading mechanisms, single column'sele ctors associated with one of the mechanisms in such a manner that said mechanism is rendered operative only when a. certainpreselected hole or combination of holes is present in a card, quantity accumulating devices controlled by the second card reading mechanism, and operative connections between the first and second card reading mechanisms 4 comprlsing a. relay switch or switches arranged to be operated by the selector-control ed first card reading mechanism, and an intermediate circuit controlled by said relays which is itself operatively-conu-ectcd reading mechanism and operative connec-" to the second card 'reading'mechansiu.

tions between the first and second card-reading mechanismswhereby the second'mech anism is' rendered operative only when the selector-controlled first mechanism is operative.

a relay-switch or switches arranged to be operated by the selector-controlled first card-reading mechanism and to control the second card-reading mechanism.

3. Controlling-means for record-card operated statistical machines com rising incombination a card-reading m'ec anism, a plurality of single-column selectors associated therewith, an intermediate circuit, a plurality of relay switches in series in said circuit, magnet-s for-said relay-switches each in circuit with one of the selectors, and a device having itself no independent card reading mechanism adapted to deal with recordcards arranged to be controlled by said intermediate circuit.

A. A machine as set forth in claim 3, wherein the intermediate circuit is provided with holding-means and with a time-controlled switch operated in each card-cycle to 8. A machine -.as set forth in claim 7 where in the intermediate circuit is provided with holding means, and with a timecontrolled switch operated in each card cycle to render the circuit effective for control of the device only after each card has passed the first selector-controlled card reading mechanism. 1 v

- 9. In a machine as set-forth in claim .7 holding means ineach selector circuit and a time-controlled switch operated to deem-rgize and open relay switches after-each card has passed the selector-controlled card read-l ing mechanisira." 1 10. A perforated record-controlled machine including a plurality of record p'erto rations sensing devices with provisions for sensing record cards while the latter are inmotion through. the. machine, a selector means controlled by one of said record sensing devices, and a record-controllcd means controlled for effective operation con-- jointly by the selector means and by theother record perforation sensing means.

.11. A perforated record-controlled machine including a plurality of card sensing devices past which record cards successively til pass and which successively and independently read the perforations upon the cards, selector means controlled by one card sensing device, record-controlled means controlled by the other record sensing means, and means for controlling the efi'ective operation of the last mentioned record-controlled means in accordance with the reading previously derived from the card by the selector means.

12. In a record-controlled machine, in combination with a settable selector device. having provisions for comparing a card reading u'ilh a previous set-up of said selector, a card-controlled mechanism With provisions r'or control by a card after the same his imparted its reading to the selector device and means for controlling the last mentioned means by and in accordance with the previous comparing operation of the selector device upon said same card.

13. A record card operated machine ineluding a plurality of card reading devices one acting after theother upon the same card, record designating devices controlled by the second of said card reading devices and means for suppressing or permitting the action of said devices in accordance with the reading prevously derived from the same card by the first card reading devices.

14. In a tabulating apparatus in combination, tabulating devices controlled by index points of record cards while the latter are in motion and selector devices also operating upon the same cards and having provisions for selectively controlling the operation of the tabulating devices at the time the latter are being controlled by the same card which had previously passed and controlled the selector devices.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signa ture.

CHARLES CAMPBELL. 

